The present invention relates generally to venipuncture devices and more particularly to an easily separable over-the-needle catheter insertion device.
Catheter insertion devices generally are widely available in the prior art. However, the hospital products industry continuously strives to improve such devices in an attempt to provide simpler, easier to use, disposable devices than are presently on the market. Several specific areas of endeavor have been pursued, such as maintaining the seal of the catheter upon removal of the insertion needle. Along these same lines an additional problem has been in providing an easily operable means of connecting the catheter hub to the needle hub so as to immovably join the two during insertion, but allow quick release when desired.
Numerous devices have been developed in order to overcome these problems, as best seen in the following U.S. patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,714,945--"Digit Manipulable Quick-Release Cannula Insertion Means"--F. S. Vayden--issued Feb. 6, 1973; PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 3,097,646--"Venous Catheter Apparatus"--H. M. Scislowicz--issued July 16, 1963; PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 3,245,698--"Latching Means"--C. T. Fromknecht--issued Apr. 12, 1966; PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 3,394,954--"Tube Coupling for Medical Appliances"--R. N. Sarns--issued July 30, 1968; PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 3,602,009--"Snap-On Ferrule"--P. Powell--issued Aug. 31, 1971; PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 3,875,938--"Multi-Mode Cannulating Apparatus"--E. Mellor--issued Apr. 8, 1975; PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 3,977,400--"Catheter Placement Unit with Resilient Sleeve and Manual Sleeve Closure"--H. R. Moorehead"--issued Aug. 31, 1976; PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 3,853,127--"Elastic Sealing Member"--R. G. Spademan--issued Dec. 10, 1974; PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 4,079,738--"Needle Restraining Apparatus"--K. Dunn, et al.--issued Mar. 21, 1978; and PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 4,137,916--"Catheter Plug Assembly"--D. M. Killman, et al.--issued Feb. 6, 1979.
The above-listed devices have met with varying degrees of success. Accordingly it is an advantage of the present invention to provide an improved venipuncture device which contains a mechanism for maintaining the seal of the catheter assembly upon removal of the needle. It is an additional advantage of the invention to provide such a device which is low in cost and simple to manufacture. It is a further advantage of the invention to provide improved venipuncture devices which lock the catheter and needle hub assemblies during needle insertion, but which are easily releasable when desired.